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Rather than filming a class, I mostly set up a camera and record myself at home doing the weapons katas and suburi. Its great for picking up the ducked heads, rolled shoulders and bouncing bokkens we all suffer from.

...and the feeling of horror when you first see yourself do aikido on tape is good for the soul.

Tim

If one makes a distinction between the dojo and the battlefield, or being in your bedroom or in public, then when the time comes there will be no opportunity to make amends. (Hagakure)

I use video and still photos a lot. I use a transparent grid over my monitor and often view action in both slow motion (one fifth speed is great) and frame by frame. It is easy to see what is happening when. The grid shows immediately if someone's center is going up or down, etc.

Students that are a long distance away send me video with questions and examples of their training and we can then film an answer that may help.

"One picture is worth a thousand words." Some wise old Chinese guy supposedly said that some time ago.

I use video and still photos a lot. I use a transparent grid over my monitor and often view action in both slow motion (one fifth speed is great) and frame by frame. It is easy to see what is happening when. The grid shows immediately if someone's center is going up or down, etc.

Wow! Now that is a scientist's mind at work. This reminds me of various training films analyzing athletes'performances, thereby they know where they can make improvement.

I wish I could film some of the seminars I attended so I can study them in detail later . Memory is such a fleeting recorder.

Fortunately (double edge), the body seems to recollect what it felt better than the mind. Am I correct?

I've thought about recording some of my rank demonstrations but never did untill my recent Shodan demo. I was suprised in that I actually looked like I knew what I was doing. I was also able to look and see where I have room for improvement, which was nice. I think that it is a tool that could defenitely get more use.

I really like Clark Sensei's method of using a grid and slo-mo playback. I my try and emulate that in the future.

When I was on a crew team in college, the coach took video every week. It was the most amazing experience being able to see yourself doing exactly what the coach had been telling you all week. It was even possible to remember youself think, "yeah, yeah, I know, I'm working on it" as you watched the shoulder dip down to the catch stroke after stroke after stroke.

I have got two videos of myself and it is very helpful seeing this, the first one was in my first kyu test and the second on my shodan (about two months ago),.... and I could see my "evolution",.. it is great and I recomend to every body to do this,... at least once a year,... it will be nice for you and your students to see in twenty years your old videos of Aikido.

As the tape of my ikkyu test came on screen, what I saw of my hand position on my bokken made me just drop my head, thinking 'oh dear god'. I made myself continue watching.

When I got a look at still pictures of my shodan test, I looked at my pins and said, "oh dear god". I asked one of my instructors about them; he said, "yeah, your pins suck". Onegaishimasu. I worked on them.

I've never video taped a session specifically for the purpose of self-review. However subsequent tests (mine and others) and demonstrations, and other events videotaped have illuminated both development and continuing areas to work on. As we are usually our own worst critic, yeah, "the horror, the horror".

Once (started this Aikido class two weeks ago). Just last night the instructer taped the class and I got to see what I look like at this point. I was nerwous at first but decided to forget about the camera and concentrate on the class. I figured I look like a beginer any way so why be concerned about it. I could tell when looking at the tape I was nervous at first but then relaxed.